Ngl, I was kind of weary by the way Darcy's non-binary identity was 'foreshadowed' and eventually affirmed by their lack of association with what's considered feminine (giving their skirt away, cutting their hair short) and disinterest in arbitrary gender roles/divides (teaming up with Nick for volleyball). I feel like what little non-binary rep we have (especially in the mainstream) is based on someone assumed to be a girl who expresses a disconnect with femininity through their androgynous (read: vaguely if not outright masculine) style, which isn't an uncommon experience but it is consistently the only one ever really seen.
Obviously, Heartstopper has to be this way because Edgell is transmasc and this was done to help affirm their gender, and I don't have an issue with this or Darcy's story in isolation (except that it was very much in the background and I would've like more onscreen development).
That said, the only other confirmed non-binary character is also an androgynous (again: vaguely masculine) character who is transmasc (assuming a shared trans-experience between actors and characters, like with Finney-Elle, Priestly-Naomi, Edgell-Darcy, etc). And the only show character who is popularly headcanoned as non-binary is Millie, the Truth Or Dare Higgs student. Y'know, the one who goes to the girls' school but has a buzzcut and a generally masculine style? I've mostly seen Millie been referred to with they/them pronouns despite no confirmed pronouns being used for Millie thus far. (Please note: I've not been able to find the actor's pronouns yet, but to some extent this is irrelevant because Ash Self currently uses he/him while Felix uses they/them.)
And more broadly, all the girls' fashion leans towards femininity while all of the boys' fashion leans into masculinity. I think out of the main girls, Sahar leans the furthest into androgyny but never fully into masculinity (and it goes without saying, Sahar 'the concept of virginity is bullshit' Zahid wears make-up), which is easily overshadowed by the femininity of more prominent characters like Elle, Tara or Imogen. Meanwhile, the closest we get to femininity from the guys is Charlie's pink cardigan, but it's just something kind of gender-neutral which is also pink. Especially in contrast to what was perceived as a cis girl being so gnc that she gets kicked out - which is recontextualised as a non-binary person being their authentic self - it just feels like Heartstopper is leaning into the standards of feminine girls, masculine boys and androgynous non-binary people. Even if the characters might be cautious about being gnc in public, just some of them exploring and embracing it at home or in a more private event would be a nice contrast.
turnnoffyourmind
titsay
gummygunk
vaporwave
